'Muslims are obviously angry and disappointed'

'Not just Maharashtra, the Congress has not fielded even one Muslim candidate from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.'

"If I go for campaigning and ask minority community members to vote for the Congress, they would definitely question me why should they vote for the Congress when the party couldn't give even one ticket to a Muslim."

Naseem Khan, who quit the Maharashtra campaign committee, tells Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com why he is upset with the Congress party.

What made you take this decision?

I have listed the reason in my letter to party President Mallikarjun Kharge. I am a five-time minister and also a prominent face of the minority community in the Congress. I am also the working president, Maharashtra Congress and I am also a senior Congress leader.

All the workers, leaders and minority community organisations have been calling me since yesterday (April 25, 2024) expressing their concern about the Congress attitude of not giving even a single ticket to a member of the community from Maharashtra.

And there are 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state (as per the seat-sharing formula decided by the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), the Sena got 21 seats, Congress 17 and NCP (SP) 10 seats).

These workers are asking me questions about why the Congress couldn't field even a single Muslim candidate from Maharashtra. And I am unable to give them a satisfactory answer. There is no face-saver for a senior leader like me in front of my community.

To express my feelings of being ignored, I have withdrawn my name as a star campaigner from the third phase of the Lok Sabha election. I did campaign during the first two phases of this campaign and since there were two more seats yet to be filled from the Congress quota I had hopes that I would get a Congress ticket.

Are you upset you were not given the ticket to contest from the Mumbai North Central constituency?

I am not upset because I did not get a ticket from this constituency. I am upset because the Congress couldn't field even a single minority community member to contest the Lok Sabha election.

Were you hopeful of getting the Mumbai North Central seat? You have been a former MLA from Chandivali, which is one of the Vidhan Sabha segments of this constituency.

I am a four-time MLA and I did not harbour any hopes of getting a Lok Sabha ticket. It was the Congress which told me two months ago that I will be given the Mumbai North Central seat and asked me to start preparations.

Why do you think the Congress did not field a single member of a minority community, especially a Muslim, from any of the 17 seats it was allotted?

You need to speak about it to Kharge sahab and (K C) Venugopal sahab (the general secretary, Congress [Organisation]). In my letter to the party president I have expressed my sentiments and have informed him that I am resigning from the campaign committee.

If I go for campaigning now and ask minority community members to vote for the Congress. they would definitely cross question me as to why should they vote for the Congress when the party couldn't give even one ticket to a Muslim.

Not just Maharashtra, the Congress has not fielded even one Muslim candidate from Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa.

Why do you think this has happened?

I don't know. Only the Delhi leaders who make decisions will know why. The Maharashtra and Mumbai unit of the Congress had unanimously passed a decision that at least one member of the Muslim community should be given a ticket.

The AICC (All India Congress Committee, the party's apex decision making body) members who took this decision and ignored the unanimous decision of the state and Mumbai unit should know the reasons.

Are you going to discuss this matter with either Rahul or Sonia Gandhi?

I will definitely lodge a complaint with them and let them know how I have been ignored. The Congress ideology has always believed in taking people of all religions together and the Maharashtra Congress always had the tradition of giving at least two tickets to the Muslims.

In your assessment, will the Muslims turn away from the Congress because not a single Muslim has been given a ticket from these states as you pointed out?

Muslims are obviously upset, angry and disappointed with this attitude of the Congress. I can't hazard a guess if this will have any impact on how Muslims will vote.

During your campaign, did you feel that the Muslims in Maharashtra are getting attracted to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasheb Thackeray) party?

I don't think the Muslims are gravitating towards the SS (UBT), but the Muslims definitely will vote against the BJP government's ten-year misrule and will definitely support the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

• INDIA VOTES, 2024